Ondine
by Rupees Of Hyrule
Summary: His eyes reminded her of the deepest oceans swirling with the brightest shades of blues and greens that she had ever seen. She could feel her broken bonds mending as they twisted and anchored her to this man. It was in that moment that she knew that she was now bound to this man. Her heart... her magic... her very soul were now his.
1. Chapter 1

976 A.D.

It was an odd feeling dying. She could no longer feel her limbs from where she lay on the rocky bank, the waters edge only feet away from her outstretched fingers that she had used every last ounce of strength trying to crawl towards. The sound of water lapping at the bank that once called to her now only taunted her in her last moments. She wondered if the agony in her chest was caused by fear or lack of oxygen, though decided that either way it didn't really matter in the end. If she had any tears left they would be falling as her vision wavered the waters glimmer becoming dull as darkness crept at the edges of her vision.

She wondered if this was what drowning felt like being physically unable to experience the actual sensation. She was ice cold; her limbs weak and immovable, her lungs ached but for more than just air. She could feel her magic that anchored her to both realms start to break both trying desperately to sustain her life force. She had been foolish for staying topside for so long and her curious nature had been her downfall. If she had the energy she would have cried out as she felt her anchors snap and break flaring out desperately trying to find something to anchor herself to once again.

It was the pain alone that coursed through her that kept her conscious as she fisted her palm into the earth wanting something to hold onto as her muscles contracted and twitched convulsively. She ached her eyes burning as she stared unblinking at the water the taunting call dwindling as her bonds broke, she wondered if it was physically possible to die of heartbreak before she even succumb to her magic killing her.

' _No!'_ Her mind screamed as she felt her last bond break her magical core now no longer anchored to either realm _'Please! Don't leave me!'_

The last glimmer of the water dulled leaving behind the image that any other moral would see if they set their gaze upon the lake. So lost in her anguish and agony she did not hear the sound of hurried footsteps in the distance or the voices that called to her.

Her magic flared once again trying desperately to find something strong enough to solely anchor itself to, the land not strong enough without the water that was now no longer calling to her.

"Miss!" The voice did not reach her and only registered as the faintest mumbling in the back of her mind "Miss are you alright?"

The surprisingly strong urgent grip on her bare arms however did register and her magic lunged at the contact. She almost screamed as the dull blue of the water was ripped from her vision as the owner of the hands gripping her turned her over onto her back but just as she was about to scream at the intruder with energy she didn't realise she even still contained she faltered.

His eyes reminded her of the deepest oceans swirling with the brightest shades of blues and greens that she had ever seen. His voice still did not register but she could see his lips moving, those lustrous eyes wide with worry and fear as he stared down at her.

"Rebekah run ahead and warn mother I will follow"

It was when he turned from her however and dared take the depths of those eyes away from her that she mustered the little strength she had left gasping as her fingers desperately searched for his.

"Don't," She stammered her voice so weak it took him a moment to realise she had spoken "Don't leave me" her grip tightened as he turned back to face her and that was when she felt it.

Her magic flared for what she hoped would be the last time and frantically reached out to him. She could feel her broken bonds mending as they twisted and anchored her to this man. She knew he could feel the bond forming as his eyes widened further, she could feel a faint burning sensation on the inside of her wrist where her magic was branding her new bonds but it was nothing compared to the agony she had felt previously that was now disappearing the longer she stared into those beautiful orbs.

Her senses were slowly returning to her and with them her hearing. She could hear the lapping of the water once again however she ignored it as she concentrated on studying every feature before her as he bent closer, her heart now beating with renewed purpose.

"What is your name?" Her mind easily registered his angelic voice this time as her magic delightedly warmed her at the very sound of his deep husky tone.

"Ondine" Her weak voice sounded almost like a whisper as she began to feel her body waver from exhaustion. It wouldn't be long before she lost consciousness she knew and she desperately tried to hold on longer wanting a name to put to those eyes "Your name?"

"Niklaus" She couldn't keep the smile off her lips as her vision blurred and arched towards the warmth of his hand that came to settle on her cheek.

"Please" She whispered as black spots started to cloud her vision "Please don't leave me"

"Never" His eyes were the last thing she saw and his voice the last thing she heard before she was sucked into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

Opening her eyes was the hardest part, coming back to consciousness after having drained herself well beyond her limits, regaining awareness of her surroundings had been the easy part. She was unsure how long it took, she could relate the feeling to ascending to the surface of a deep body of water. Voices that had been muffled becoming sharp and clear if not unfamiliar.

"Rebekah dear watch over her while I fetch fresh water for her wounds, your brothers and father shall be returning soon"

"Yes mother"

She could hear movement around her as the two unfamiliar voices spoke. Listening carefully, she hoped to gain some clue as to where she was but frustratingly enough the room fell silent once more so she was left surrounded by darkness and silence as she waited for her senses to fully return to her.

Slowly she could note the dull throbbing in her palms and knees most likely the wounds the older sounding of the two females spoke of. Deciding not to dwell on them most likely having sustained them from falling in her desperate attempt at reaching the lake she focused her mind on examining her magical core. She had known the risks of a prolonged stay topside before she had ventured onto these shores, the realm of man while home to many magical beings and creatures did not possess the necessary elements to solely sustain her magical core. She was unlike other beings such as witches who could use their magic at their own discretion or unlike werewolves whose true abilities were tethered to the full moon but sustained some powers without its presence. No, her powers, her very life essence had to be tied to something to keep her alive.

And it was her naivety and curiosity that had lead her here. She was young and having been tied to the ocean realm for the first nineteen years of her life had made her long to explore the realm that seemed just out of her reach. So she had broken some of her bonds and tethered them to land which allowed her to venture onto the shores for a short while before the call of the water pulled her back into its depths the few anchors that tethered her to the shore not being enough to sustain her life force alone. It was her curiosity that lead her away from the oceans shores venturing further and further inland and it was her naivety that presumed that she would be able to find water no matter how far from the shores she ventured.

"Mother!" The younger voice called after a gasp had broken the silence of the room "Mother I think she is waking!"

Her observation may have been true she mused as she took note of the darkness beginning to fade into shades of grey but as her mind regained more consciousness she was assaulted with a new type of pain, one she had not felt before. Her veins felt like they were on fire radiating from her chest and creeping down her right arm to her wrist. She had thought she would never feel a worse pain than that of feeling her anchors to the land and ocean being ripped from her very core but this, no, this was all consuming like nothing she had thought imaginable. Her magic was unsettled swirling in her like a storm.

She could hear them talking but she paid them no mind as a new voice broke through the silence. Someone was screaming.

"Mother! Rebekah? Is she alright?" A new voice asked joining the rest a male this time but her mind screamed at her that it was not the _right_ males.

With that thought in mind she forced her eyes opened to only realise she was the one who had been screaming. Snapping her mouth shut she flinched away from the outstretched hand of the unfamiliar woman who tried to reach out and steady her as she scrambled up from where she had been unconscious and backed away from them, three sets of eyes following her movements.

"Child please you should not try and move so quickly you need your rest you have been unconscious for nine days" The woman who tried to reach her before said trying to move forward as the male who had been standing in the doorway moved further into the room.

She took two steps back to her one step forward causing her to stop as she allowed her words to sink in. Nine days? That was two more than the land previously was able to sustain her for before she was forced to heed the waters call. Seven days was all she was allowed even with two realms anchoring her so it was only logical to believe that she had come into contact with her new anchor very recently for she doubted she would be even allowed seven days with only a singular anchor now let alone nine.

 _There shall always be a price to be paid_

She could remember her mother's warning and she wished she had paid more attention to her wisdom when she first ventured onto shore. Her kind were rare, a mere myth to both mankind and magical beings. They could not survive without their essence being anchored to the ocean for it was the only realm that was able to fully sustain them and it was that very reason why it was forbidden to venture close to the shores edge. So when she rebelled against their laws using her magic to anchor part of herself to the land her mother left her with the warning that all magic came with a price. Their price was never being able to step foot on land, her price had been never truly belonging to either realm, but now her price was something else entirely.

She turned to curious eyes observing her who upon seeing her acknowledgement moved to come closer again. Taking her chance, she ducked passed the outstretched hand of the elder woman and dodged passed the male, _the wrong male_ , as he tried to touch her the panic in her chest increasing steadily with every passing second.

She ignored their calls to stop her as she races through two more doorways passed another startled male this one much younger than the rest and out and she near bumped into a man in her distraction this one slightly older by a few years if she had to guess then the two previous.

"Ah, your awake Miss" He sounded pleased but raised an eyebrow as she flinched away from his stare. Sidestepping him she readied herself to run from these unknown people who kept attempting to touch her burning skin when she faltered.

' _Niklaus'_ She remembered him, there was nothing that would make her forget those eyes.

Standing not too far from her having just stood from where he had been kneeling tending to the fire near his feet was the man from the shore. The life that her magic had deemed fit to bond to, fit to sustain and anchor her essence to.

"Miss please we won't hurt you" The elder female voice had followed her outside followed closely by the other faces from inside.

Distracted by the lustrous blue eyes gazing back at her she did not notice the woman's hand coming to rest on her shoulder until her flesh burned and throbbed at the contact causing a whimper of pain to break from her lips.

She gasped flinching away as the woman jolted staring at her hand in shock having felt the skin burn under her touch. The fire in her veins only got worse and she rushed passed the strangers towards Niklaus who had moved a few steps forward. Before he had a chance to speak she reached for the same hand she had clutched days before turning it so she could see the inside of his wrist turning her own at the same time. Identical brands were etched into their flesh, a swirl of black creating the sigil that bonded them.

"Kol take Henrik back inside" The woman's voice was stern leaving no room for argument as she approached them the two others present following closely behind her.

"Niklaus" She whispered as she took a step closer to him the burning in her veins having vanished upon touching his skin.

"Ondine?" He asked unsure as his free hand came to rest on her shoulder before he nodded and turned her towards the others watching them "Ondine this is my mother Esther, my elder brother Elijah and little sister Rebekah, there is nothing to fear they mean you no harm"

"Child what is this?" Esther asked eyes having gone wide upon noticing the identical sigils.

Glancing up at Niklaus and receiving a nod and a reassuring smile she turned to his mother though not letting go her hold on him.

"My magic became unstable and anchored my being to Niklaus when he found me" It wasn't a lie per say but it was also not the whole truth. Revealing what she was to these stranger's, family to _her_ Niklaus or not would be a foolish thing to do and if this experience had taught her anything it was to no longer be the naïve little girl she once was.

"You are a witch?" Esther asked surprised but she seemed somewhat please at drawing such a conclusion deciding it best to just nod her head she waited for her to continue "And your magic bonded you to my son to anchor your magic?"

"Yes" She agreed for though not how she would explain it was still correct.

Turning back to Niklaus to gauge his reaction of the confession she was surprised that his face was expressionless crafted into an unreadable display. However, when she gazed further into his eyes she sighed inwardly at the emotion she found there, it was all she needed to know his thoughts on the matter.

' _He is pleased'_ She thought gleefully

"Rebekah fetch me a bandage and a scrap of old fabric" Esther instructed her daughter who hurried off inside returning moments later "Niklaus give me your hand"

"No!" She gasped before she could stop herself not wanting to give up his touch

"Child I understand the implications of such a bond, while I have only heard rumours of one such as this I understand. I know why my touch burned you earlier and for that I am sorry if I had known I would have not dared touch you until your magic was sated by Niklaus's touch but my Husband and eldest son will be home any moment and we must hide these marks" Esther explained as she took the items that Rebekah was passing to her.

"My husband has already agreed to let you stay with us if you need shelter, he thinks Rebekah would do well with a female presence to keep her company now that she is reaching maturity. But he cannot see these marks nor can he know you are a witch" Esther explained as she wrapped the bandage around her wrist and the piece of fabric around Niklaus's "No one other than us five can know about this do you all understand?"

"Rebekah take Ondine inside and help her get cleaned up for supper, we will discuss this more tomorrow but for now there is not enough time" Esther instructed after they had all voiced their agreement "Elijah, Niklaus help me finish preparing supper"

Rebekah had stepped forward offering her a hand but she was reluctant to leave.

"Go" Niklaus reassured her with a slight smile gracing his lips "I promise we will talk after"

Reluctantly she removed herself from his touch taking Rebekah's offered hand letting herself be lead back inside. Her veins began to throb slightly with ever step she took from him and it made her wonder.

' _How much time shall I be allowed away from you'_


End file.
